AMBA Monday Morning News - Week of September 14th, 2026 
Message from the Board
Fellow Alaska mortgage professionals,
Termination dust showed up in the last few weeks, which in Anchorage is the only calendar anybody actually trusts. The August crush has eased a little. What replaced it is the September problem: the files that have been sitting since July, the ones where the borrower went quiet or the seller got cold, and you are the person who has to decide whether to keep calling.
Keep calling. A lot of what looks like a dead file in September is a borrower who got overwhelmed and stopped answering the phone. A short, specific message beats a long friendly one. Tell them what you need and what happens next, in that order.
This is also the stretch where people in this business start working alone, heads down, until Thanksgiving. Try not to. There are people in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Wasilla, and Juneau who have already run into whatever is stuck on your desk, and most of them will take the call. Pick one and use them.
All the best,
Benjamin Reynolds - President, Alaska Mortgage Bankers Association
Thank you to our AMBA Monday Morning News Sponsor
Next Luncheon!
The NAR Settlement, Two Years On
The practice changes took effect August 17, 2024. Two years and six weeks later, AMBA opens the season with an update on where things actually stand, bringing together an industry panel with an agent, a lender, and a title representative on what has worked well and what has not.
Most of the 2024 predictions have now been tested. A Cotality and ResiClub survey conducted in February and March of 2026 found roughly two-thirds of agents reported no significant change in commission levels since the settlement. The appeals are also still live: a three-judge Eighth Circuit panel heard argument in St. Louis on January 14, 2026, with a decision expected in late summer or early fall.
The update covers where the settlement stands and what the practice changes have meant in practice. The panel is the rest of it. Three professionals who sit at different points in the same transaction, comparing notes on what they have figured out since 2024 and where the process still gets rough.
Alaska is a small market. The same people close most of the deals in a given community, which means the practical fixes tend to come from a conversation rather than a memo. This is that conversation, with the whole industry in the room instead of two of us at a closing table.
Who should come:
Loan officers, processors, underwriters, closers, and title staff. Realtor partners are welcome as guests, and this is the meeting of the year to bring one to.
Panel details coming soon. Moderated by AMBA President, Benjamin Reynolds
Luncheon Schedule:
Doors Open at 11:30 AM
Food Served at 11:45 AM
Meeting Starts at 12:00 PM
Meeting Ends at 1:00 PM
Reminder!!!
All member companies and employees have been added and have an account created. Login using your company email and, if this is your first time logging in, select the "Forgot Password" option to update your password. If there are any issues with logging in, please contact us at [email protected] or Benjamin Reynolds at [email protected].
This Month's Meeting Sponsor:
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News From Last Week
FHA Sets January 1 Start Date for New Credit Score Models
FHA published an implementation date of January 1, 2027 for VantageScore 4.0 and FICO Score 10T, according to FHA INFO 2026-21, issued September 10. The TOTAL Scorecard updates for case numbers assigned on or after that date, Title II forward mortgages only. FHA also posted an Alternative Credit Scores Preparedness Guide and set virtual office hours for November 16 through 20. Tri-merge credit reports are still required.
Alaska Impact: Call your credit and LOS vendors this month, not in December, and ask for a written TOTAL 5.0 readiness date. Alaska desks carry more seasonal and rotational income files than most states, and borrowers with thin or nonstandard credit files are exactly the population these two models score differently than Classic FICO.
Anchorage Assembly Takes Public Testimony on Key Housing Initiatives This Tuesday
The Legislative Affairs committee has developed positions, pending Board review that strike at a few financing topics within key housing initiatives that are on the Assembly's agenda this week.
More to come!
Mortgage Rates Climb Again After Firmer August Inflation Data
Freddie Mac's September 10 Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the 30-year fixed at 6.76%, up from 6.71% the prior week and 6.35% a year earlier. The move came amid a firmer August CPI, which BLS reported September 11 at 0.4% for the month and 3.4% over twelve months, alongside a producer price index up 0.4% in August. MBA's September 9 survey showed applications down 2.7% for the week ending September 4.
Alaska Impact: At 6.76%, principal and interest on a $400,000 loan runs about $2,600 a month, roughly $450 more than the same loan at 5%. Alaska's 2026 conforming ceiling is $1,249,125, so nearly every Anchorage and Mat-Su file prices off this number directly rather than off jumbo. If a borrower's payment works today and the closing window is short, say so plainly.
Alaska Rents Rose 2.6% This Spring, Smallest Increase in Five Years
Median adjusted rent for a two-bedroom apartment rose 2.6% across surveyed Alaska areas, the smallest increase in five years, according to the September issue of Alaska Economic Trends from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Anchorage came in at $1,728, up 2.4%, with a March vacancy rate of 4.9%. Mat-Su and the Kenai Peninsula were the outliers at 13% and 11%. Alaska recorded 2,261 new housing units in 2025, a ten-year high.
Alaska Impact: The same issue puts the 2025 Alaska Affordability Index at 1.37, meaning a median-valued home takes 1.37 average wages to carry. Mat-Su absorbed roughly 40% of the state's new units last year and still posted 13% rent growth. That is the rent-versus-buy conversation your Wasilla and Palmer borrowers are already having at the kitchen table. Have the numbers with you.
Upcoming Events
Save the dates for the 2026-2027 Season!
It's that time of the year where we are able to announce dates for our 2026-2027 season here at AMBA. Dates are subject to change based on availability, speakers, special events, etc. As of August 10th, our upcoming schedule is going to be:
- September 30, 2026 - The NAR Settlement, Two Years On
- October 21, 2026 - Save the Date
- November 18, 2026 - VA Loans: The Myths, the Tricks, and the Files That Actually Close
- December 16, 2026 - Save the Date
- January 20, 2027 - 2026 Division of Banking and Securities Update w/ Tracy Reno and Autumn Miller
- February 17, 2027 - Save the Date
- March 17, 2027 - Save the Date
- April 21, 2027 - Save the Date
- May 19, 2027 - Save the Date
We have also made an update to this year's events. Along with a member discount on all events for this year, all named individual members will have free access to our virtual sessions! AMBA wants to make it even easier for members to join across Alaska and be a part of the conversation monthly.
That being said, renewal season is here. Membership renews September 1, 2026. Pricing has remained the same this year, however we will be moving our billing back to the beginning of September for everyone. Our experiment of annual billing caused tracking to be all over the place for the year and with a small volunteer board so we will be moving our main billing back to the beginning of the season and all new memberships throughout the year will be automatically prorated. Members that did have memberships later in 2026 will have their updated dues adjusted.
Rates and bands for 2026-2027:
The Board will be reaching out to members to confirm the bands for this year and will have invoices out by August 18th for renewal before September 1st. To add named seats, change a coordinator, or ask about your band, email [email protected] or call (907) 727-1076.
Welcome New Members!
AMBA has represented Alaska's mortgage industry since 1976. Membership is held by the company, and every person the company names gets a full seat: nine meetings a year - in person at a discount or virtual for free, a directory listing under their own name, committee eligibility including Legislative Affairs, and the Monday Morning News. Individual membership is available to professionals whose employer is not a member company.
Welcome returning members:
Global Federal Credit Union Home Loans
Alaska Housing Finance Corporation
Email [email protected] or call (907) 206-7363 to find out how you can join!
New Job Posts
Hiring in Alaska
AMBA members get access to post directly on AMBA's website for new prospective candidates. Sign in to your member account today to post your latest position.
Currently Hiring:
Escrow Officer and Assistant - First American Title
Mortgage Underwriter - First National Bank Alaska
Originator Assistant - Global CU Home Loans
Mortgage Loan Originator - Global CU Home Loans (multiple locations)
Residential Mortgage - Receptionist in Soldotna and MLOs in Anchorage